Monday, December 21, 2015

Big boost for Emirati filmmaking

ABU DHABI - Lt. Colonel Faisal Mohammed Al Shimmari, Deputy
Chairman of the Committee for the Ministry of Interior's Cinematic Awards
(MOICA), announced that Emirati filmmaker Abdullah Hassan Ahmed has the
Ministry ’s Award, along with a staggering prize of USD 100,000, for ‘Best
Societal Screenplay’.

The announcement of the deserving
winner took place during the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), where
director Abdullah Ahmed won the MoI ‘Best Societal Screenplay’ Award for his
film titled "Sunrise". The prize falls in line with the MoI’s
endeavors to support Emirati and Arab talents and to develop the film industry
in the Arab world. This is achieved by empowering innovative individuals and
supporting them to produce noble material that address the issues of all
segments of the society in a constructive, purposeful and unconventional manner
that do not resort to a negative approach or criticism. This would serve the
strategies of the ministry in regards to spreading stability, security and
safety in the society.

Moreover, Saeed Salmeen’s "Going
to Heaven" film won the Emirati Muhr Award for the Best Feature Film.
Salmeen had won the MoI Cinema Awards for ‘Best Societal Screenplay’ with this
film in 2014. This is testament that the valuable support extended by the MoI
to creative individuals has achieved the desired goals in promoting and
supporting the Arab film industry. Both awards embody the concerted efforts and
purposeful partnership with the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) that
aim to promote the societal mission of cinema in reaching a broad range of
community members, and to avail of local and Arab talents to serve society and
address societal issues.

Lt. Colonel Al Shimmari said: "We
are delightfully happy to see that the film ‘Going to Heaven’ has won the
Emirati Muhr Award for the Best Feature Film, and that the Emirati filmmaker
Abdullah Hassan Ahmed’s film titled ‘Sunrise’ won the Best Societal Screenplay
Award. Both awards are a clear call for more opportunities to encourage further
creativity and innovative individuals to address societal issues, based on an
unconventional approach, and to renew the MoI’s partnership with the Dubai
International Film Festival as a key enabler for such endeavors."

He added: "Our partnership with
the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) for the second consecutive year
increases the opportunities to empower innovative Emirati and Arab individuals,
and to allow them to transform their ideas, innovations and screenplays into
film projects of significant impact to the community and address societal
issues."

In conclusion, Lt. Colonel Al Shimmari
expressed his hopes for writers to take part in shedding light on societal
issues in a constructive manner that provides solutions to address such issues
and involves community members so as to become an integral part of the
solution. This may be achieved through innovative and unconventional methods.

For his part, Emirati filmmaker
Abdullah Hassan Ahmed, Director of the ‘Sunrise’ film that won the MoI’s ‘Best
Societal Screenplay Award’ at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF)
said: "Emirati filmmakers are fortunate to have such a highly coveted and
envied award, ," noting that the MoI provides unrelenting support to all
innovative Emirati individuals.

Abdullah Hassan Ahmed expressed his
happiness with winning this award and praised the MoI’s efforts and commitment
to provide community members with security, peace of mind and opportunities to
fulfill their dreams. He also noted that the Ministry is a role model to be
emulated, not only as a security entity, but most importantly as a social
entity that supports Emirati talents.

He expressed his heartfelt thanks and
appreciation for the MoI’s officials, the organizers of the festival, and all
entities that support innovative and creative national talents and encourage
them to participate in such international events.

Emirati director Saeed Salmeen Al
Murry, winner of the Muhr Emirati Best Feature Film Award for 2015, said he
owes his success to the Ministry of Interior’s support, led by the generous
sponsor, Lt. General HH Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister
and Minister of Interior. "HH has many a times assured his unrelenting
support for innovative and talented individuals in various fields, because they
are the reflection of society; and has endeavored to enhance communication with
community members, all of which had a significant impact on allowing me to win
this award," he noted. He also explained that the ministry’s support for
his work has already allowed him to win the ‘Best Societal Screenplay’ Award in
last year’s edition of DIFF.

Adding further, Salmeen said: "I
wanted the entire people of the United Arab Emirates to share this moment with
me. To this end, I have made sure to dedicate this award to Lt. General HH
Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of
Interior, and to all the UAE people. This for me is a simple way of showing
gratitude to the generous support given to us by our beloved country."

Moreover, Salmeen noted that winning
the ‘Best Societal Screenplay’ Award in last year’s edition of DIFF has been an
incentive for him to make this film, which competed with and outshined five
other Emirati feature films in the Muhr Emirati category, which recognizes
Emirati talent.

"The touching film follows the
life of young teenager Sultan, an 11-year old boy, who is longing for the
tenderness of his late yet ever-present mother, while suffering under the reign
of his cruel stepmother, and the cold and silent treatment of his distant
father, drowning in his own obsessions, needs and queries," he continued.

"The important turn of events in
the film begins when the child discovers by chance an old box with a picture of
his late grandmother that he’d never seen before, with her address in the
emirate of Fujairah written on the back side. He also finds in the box a tape
with his Grandma’s warm voice describing intimate family moments and
self-reflections. He decides to sets off on a extraordinary journey to Fujairah
with his friend to seek out his absent grandmother despite the obstacles,
barriers, and weird coincidences they encounter on their tiring trip," he
said.

Emirati director Saeed Salmeen noted
that the film aims to provide different images about childhood and the journey
of self-discovery, as well as the clash of personal destinies and dreams with
fates and coincidences in a society where young people are overwhelmed by
modern aspects of life and have forgotten the warmth of grandparents’ tales.